Home/Culture/ Letter Penned by Doomed Titanic Passenger Sells at Auction For Record $166000

Letter Penned by Doomed Titanic Passenger Sells at Auction For Record $166000

Ray Hunter |Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The ship was carrying 1,300 people when she struck an iceberg and sank in April 1912GETTY IMAGES

The last-known letter written on board by a passenger who perished when the Titanic sank - which contains the poignant prediction that "if all goes well we'll arrive in NY on Wednesday" - has sold for a record-breaking £126,000 at auction.

Two years ago a letter written on 14 April 1912 by a passenger, Esther Hart, and her seven-year-old daughter, Eva, who survived the sinking, sold for a record £119,000. Most Titanic letters that have appeared on the market had been posted in Cherbourg, France, or Queenstown, Ireland, the ship's last port of call before the disaster.

"It's the only letter written on Titanic stationary actually to have gone into the water, so it's bearing those scars from that immersion in the cold North Atlantic", said auctioneer, Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers.

Mr Holverson wrote how he sat out on deck with the United States businessman who "looks like any other human being even tho he has millions of money".

The letter is the last-known letter written on board by a victim.

Mr Holverson's body was recovered from the Atlantic days later and his personal effects were sent back to his brother in Minnesota, US.

"If all goes well, we will arrive in New York Wednesday A.M.", Mr Holverson wrote the day before the ship's fateful encounter.

In the letter, addressed to "My dear Mother" and stained with saltwater marks, Holverson described the Titanic as "a giant in size and fitted up like a palatial hotel".

Accompanying the Holverson letter is a sad note written by his grieving mother, Rachael, describing her loss. He had meant to post it to his mother when they arrived in NY.

Mr Aldridge, who has auctioned everything from a set of Titanic keys for £85,000, to a violin that was played as the ship sank, for £1.1m, said he was also excited to see the letter. "They sit out on deck with the rest of us", he wrote.

Mr Aldridge said: 'The prices illustrate the enduring interest in the Titanic and her passengers and crew.

A letter written by Titanic victim Alexander Oskar Holverson has been recovered and will be auctioned in the United Kingdom for an expected $79,031 to $105,375.

The price beat the $157,000 paid in 2014 for a letter that had been written a few hours before the Titanic sank.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's sale, Mr Aldridge said that "even if the letter was virtually blank, it would still rank as amongst the most desirable, such is the nature of the paper, its markings and history".

In his letter, Holverson describes being on the ship with John Jacob Astor, an American financier and real estate investor and one of the ship's most famous passengers.

Instagram's live video with friends feature rolls out globally
The dual live stream gives you all the power as you can choose to remove the guest you added at any time and add someone else. Once the person joins, the screen will be split into two and the friend's live stream will pop up right below the user's.

Taco Bell's latest crossover: The Kit Kat Chocodilla
They're for real, alright, at Taco Bell , which is testing candy-filled quesadillas at locations in Wisconsin. In fact, they were selling a Kit Kat Chocodilla in the United Kingdom around this time a year ago .

Doctor Who Adds Three More Cast Members
The three new cast members will travel through time and space with the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker . Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production for BBC One and a BBC America co-production.

Foo Fighters coming to Tampa
Friday, Nov. 3, at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Ticketmaster.com , and by calling 800-745-3000. The band did not say what the emergency was, but they had performed the night before at U.S.